Roman City Glanum

Originally founded by Celto-Ligurians as an oppidum on Mont Gaussier, Glanum developed into a Greek trading center by at least the 3rd century BC. Traders from Marseille brought their culture and architectural style, leading to the construction of an agora and a theater. A shrine for the Celtic god Glanis, associated with a sacred spring, was established as early as the 4th century BC. In the 1st century BC, Glanum became Roman. The Romans adopted the Glanis shrine and the veneration of local mother goddesses, whom they called Glanicae. During the Augustan era, the city was elevated to a colony and equipped with monumental buildings such as an expanded forum, thermal baths, a triumphal arch, and several temples. The Glanum Dam, possibly the first arch dam, and a sewage system were also realized during this phase. In 260 AD, Glanum was destroyed by an Alamannic invasion and subsequently abandoned, with its inhabitants settling a few kilometers further north in the plain at the site that would later be called Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Excavations only began in 1921, making Glanum one of France's most significant Roman archaeological sites.

The Roman city of Glanum is located in the municipality of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, France, at an elevation of approximately 109 m above sea level.

Today, the impressive remains of the Roman city of Glanum can be visited. Particularly noteworthy are the two monuments situated outside the actual city, known as “Les Antiques”: a well-preserved triumphal arch from the Augustan period, the oldest in Gaul, and an imposing mausoleum dedicated by the Julius sons to their parents.

• Abbey of Saint-Michel-de-Frigolet (sacred building), approx. 12.6 km away
• Château de Tarascon (castle), approx. 14.8 km away
• Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Montmajour (sacred building), approx. 15.6 km away
• Château de Beaucaire (castle), approx. 15.7 km away